Shattered Walls
by BelieveAndDoWhat
Summary: Two years after graduating from Hogwarts, Hermione Granger disappeared. Four years later, she's returned, but no one knows what happened to her all those years. With the help of her Healers, her friends, and even the blonde boy in charge of her case, maybe they'll begin to find out.
1. Chapter 1

A/N: I don't know how I got this idea, it just popped into my head and I had to write it. This story kind of encompasses everyone. It's a Dramione, but it has other relationships, too. It's not just focused on one team, it has a variety and I hope you enjoy it! Hopefully, I'll update soon. Thanks for reading! Please Review.

XXXXXX

The doors burst open, the gurney rolled out onto the main floor. She lay on it, hands and feet tied to the rails. The light was so bright. _'So….so bright,_ ' she thought. _'How long had it been? Since she'd seen the light? A week? Maybe two? Or was it longer? A month or so? Over a year?'_ She couldn't remember. She knew she'd meant to keep track of the days, but….he made it so hard. A tear rolled down her cheek. She heard a muffled voice, a woman, speak.

"There's a reaction, love. There's a reaction. You're all right. You're going to be okay."

She looked up at the ceiling as they continued to roll her down the hall, slipping her into a room. Her eyes shifted as the door opposite from where she entered opened. She couldn't see much, her eyesight compromised with her tears and the light. Everything was a blur, but she could make out long blonde hair pulled back into a ponytail. "What do we have? How are her vitals?" The voice was soft and easy, but it was also familiar. Why was it so familiar?

"Okay, well, we need to run a full workup. Owen, I need you to make sure she's moved to the top of all the exams, alright? We can't afford to waste any more time." She heard a male voice agree and then, she understood. Daphne Greengrass. She used to go to Hogwarts with her. When did she become a healer?

The light dimmed as the blonde stood over her and her face came into view. She blinked, focusing on features she'd never noticed before in the girl. The way freckles framed her cheekbones. "I-I know you've been through a lot, sweetie. I couldn't imagine-" Daphne cut off, placing a hand in her own. It was warm. She hadn't been warm in a long time. "We're going to take good care of you, okay? I don't want you to worry. You're safe with us. He can't hurt you an-" Suddenly, Daphne's voice became muffled again, her words a slur. The blonde took hold of her arms and turned her on her side as a board was slipped under her. A hand broke free and there was a yell. Daphne wiped the blood from her cheek and held the arm down.

"She's in shock. I need you to tighten the straps. NOW. Place the charm over her, keep her vitals stable and somebody….bring me a nail clipper."

XXXXXX

Daphne pushed the door to the lounge open, removing her gloves and tossing them into the waste bin. She slipped her wand into its holster and moved to the coffee pot. She hadn't noticed him, sitting on the couch, flipping through his book. She poured herself a cup and closed her eyes, inhaling the scent. "You know, you really shouldn't be drinking that." She jumped, spilling the coffee on the carpet. "Given the baby and all."

"Do you _always_ have to do that?" She snapped, turning to look at him. He smiled widely, uncrossing his legs and standing, moving to take the cup from her.

"You know, I really never do anything. You're just so unaware of your surroundings, the slightest thing freaks you out." He tilted his head, looking at her cheek. "Mmm…you've got to get this cleaned." He placed the coffee in the sink, moving to grab a kit from the cabinet.

"I was going to drink that."

"No you weren't." He smiled and she almost hated him for it. Because he was right. She wouldn't have started her drink. She would have hauled it around, room to room as she checked up on patients, but she would have never actually sipped from it. She liked the feel of the cup in her hand, she enjoyed the smell of the dark coffee, and as badly as she would have liked to drink it, there was no way she would. At least not for the next 5 months. She looked down at the ring on her finger, the gorgeous, emerald cut, platinum banded 3 carat ring. It must have cost him a fortune. They weren't rich, but they were happy. They were stable. She was Head Healer for Trauma and he was looking for a promotion to Head Psychologist. How he afforded the ring, she'd never know, but she hoped he hadn't done anything too drastic. She loved the ring, don't get her wrong, but…she loved him more. Bloody hell, she would've said yes if he'd have proposed with a ring pop! She smiled, looking from the ring to him and he grinned. "Come on now. Sit."

She rolled her eyes and moved to sit on the chair, but he shook his head and she opted for the table instead. She shifted in her seat, one hand resting comfortable on her small bump and the other on the round table top. "Ah! MotherF-er!" She hissed silently as he cleaned out her cut with a potion. He chuckled silently, taking the paste in his fingers.

"You know, you can't speak like that when the baby's born. He'll pick up your language." He dabbed the paste on, watching it change colors as it sunk into her skin, closing the cut.

"It takes a while for babies to talk, you know. And he? We don't even know what it is yet." She rolled her eyes, taking the small mirror from him to check out his cleaning skills.

"No, but it's preferable to 'it.'" He crossed his arms over his chest. She scoffed and he smiled. "Okay, compromise. We'll go halfway. I'll say 'he,' and you can say, 'she.'"

Daphne twisted her lips, considering. "Okay." She nodded, smiling up at him. "That sounds like a plan to me."

"Great." He leaned in and pressed his lips to hers, his arms moving around her waist.

She sighed against his lips, pulling away only slightly to whisper, "I love you, Neville Longbottom."

"And I love you, Daphne Longbottom." She laughed, shaking her head and looking up at him. "No? You're not taking my last name?"

"Not for a million years, stud."

XXXXXX

The faucet dripped slowly as she watched it. Her knees were up to her chest, her arms wrapped around them. Her hair had been cut shorter to attend to the trauma she'd suffered to her skull. It'd been three weeks since she'd been admitted to St. Mungo's and she hadn't spoken a word. She watched as the drop fell from the edge, seemingly happening in slow motion. Micro drops of water shifted together on the faucet rim, accumulating on one end. They formed a circle and it got heavier, she watched. And then: _drip!_ But someone else was speaking. His voice was a million miles away, but he was right across from her. He held a folder in his hands, a quick-quotes quill floating in the air. Her eyes shifted from the water to his hands, which were playing with the edge of the folder. She blinked, looking up at him and willing herself to listen to him. To remove herself from the deafening silence.

"Hermione? Hermione, I need you to talk to me." Neville sat up straighter once he noticed her watching him. The quill began to take notes of her actions. "Hermione, I need to know that you understand me. Can you say something for me? Anything will do." Her eyes ran over him once more, stopping at his hands. They continued to fidget.

"Paper cut." She murmured and his eyebrows furrowed as he sat forward.

"What was that? Could you repeat that?"

"Paper cut." Hermione spoke a little louder and Neville hissed, dropping the folder as a drop of blood appeared on his thumb. He brought it to his lips, sucking on it to stop the bleeding. He looked up at her, but she was already gazing at the water again. He sighed, looked at the time, and stood, taking the folder from the ground.

"I'll be back again tomorrow, Hermione." He frowned as he watched her. "I won't give up on you." He turned the knob and stepped out of the room, closing the door behind him. He leaned against it, closing his eyes, banging his head quietly on the door.

"You shouldn't do that. She takes notice of everything. We don't know what kind of triggers a small thump will have on her."

His eyes closed tightly and his fists clenched. "So, I'm not the only one who sneaks up on people."

"I-I wasn't trying to. I was coming by to do another assessment." She spoke quietly, not like herself.

"Great. Well, she's all yours." He strode past her and she blinked, turning to him.

"You're really going to do that? Walk past me like I'm no one?" Daphne crossed her arms over her growing belly, blinking back the tears in her eyes.

"I can't do this right now, Daphne." He muttered, shaking his head, stopping by the end of the hall.

"Well, when can you?" She moved a strand of hair behind her ear. "Because you- you don't talk to me at work, you don't talk to me at home. You barely even look at me."

"She's been gone four years, Daphne." He growled, turning to her. "Four. And she doesn't know that because- from what the tests show us- she hadn't seen bright light in just as long. You want me to pretend that what you did doesn't matter? I can't."

"I did what was right by my patient, Neville." She shook her head. "I thought you of all people would understand that."

"How could I possibly understand?" He took a step forward. "She is one of my friends. A great one. And you didn't tell me she'd been found. I'm your _husband_."

" _Fiancée_." She corrected, but his face told her that it wasn't a good a idea. "That's exactly why I couldn't tell you, Neville. You're way too close to this case." She continued before he had a chance to interrupt her. "I was never her friend at Hogwarts. We talked every now and then, sure, but we meant nothing to each other. You were her friend. Neville. Her _friend._ And you lost her. Her disappearance affected you like it affected Potter and Weasley." She shook her head. "I didn't tell you she returned because I was ordered not to. It was the best thing for her. We wanted to find a way to stabilize her mind." She stepped towards him, taking his hand. "I did what I had to. I took care of my patient. I'm sorry if you felt betrayed….but I'm not sorry about how I handled it. And I'd do it all over again."

He groaned, pushing away from her. "Oh, that is hardly an apology." He shook his head, turning to leave the hall and Daphne tilted her head back, closing her eyes and pinching her nose as she counted to ten.

XXXXXX

Harry headed down the hall, a vase of flowers in his hand. He held the small white ticket in his palm, making sure he was heading in the direction of the right room. As he turned the corner, he ran smack into a wall. Well, not exactly a wall. The vase fell from his hands, crashing onto the floor, shards of glass littering the hall.

"Oh, shit! Harry, I'm sorry!" Neville took his wand out, muttering a quick spell, the vase returning to its former glory. "I didn't see you there. I was just returning from- wait, what are you doing here?"

Harry took the vase from the floor, fixing his glasses. "Oh, I came to drop these off. I figured she'd like them. Brighten up the room a bit." He twisted his lips, knowing he'd have almost no chance of getting the vases in that room.

"Oh, well...Harry, you know she's not allowed to have visitors." Neville spoke softly, watching his friend's face drop. "I mean, there's still a safety concern. Which is why you aren't able to visit her yet."

"I know, I know." He shook his head. "I just hoped the rules would be different today. Because last time- well, you said she'd improved."

"Well, she's eating now. And she's looking around, Harry, but aside from that. We have no idea of knowing if this is the same Hermione that disappeared. You can look through the one way glass, I suppose. I'll have to ask Daphne."

"Right. Right." Harry nodded, walking alongside Neville now. "How is she, by the way? She should be, what, 6 months now?"

"Uh, five, actually." Neville corrected, opening the door to the office across from Hermione's room. "She's good. She's feeling much better now."

Harry placed the vase down on the table. "You should forgive her." Neville blinked, confused. How did he know? He hadn't spoken a word of it to anyone. "Ginny." Harry smiled slightly. "She's been meeting up with Daphne these past few weeks to discuss the case. They've formed quite a bond."

"Right, well. Take your time. I'll….I'll be right outside." He stopped at the door, turning back to The-boy-who-lived. "Harry? Whatever you do. Don't make any noise."

Harry waited a few seconds until Hermione came into view. She slipped onto her bed, her legs pulled to her chest. She was almost unrecognizable. She was at an alarmingly unhealthy weight, her olive skin was washed out, and she had a blank expression on her face. She was there, but she wasn't there. Her hair was cut short, much shorter than he expected when they informed him. She had changed so much. They all had after the incident. He remembered it well.

" _Tell me again, what were your plans with Hermione Granger?" He spoke curtly, his long pale fingers tapping on the desk, his quill writing quickly for him._

" _I already told you, we were supposed to meet up for lunch. Three days ago." Harry sighed, sinking lower into his chair._

" _And why is it so out of character that she didn't show up?" He leaned forward in his desk, his eyes searching his former classmate's face._

" _Look, Hermione never_ EVER _misses lunch. We've been meeting up twice a week, every week since we left Hogwarts." Harry met the blonde's gaze. "One time, she showed up with a fever! I had to beg her to go see her healer, okay? I know Hermione, Malfoy. Something is wrong."_

 _The Auror, Draco Malfoy, sat back in his seat. He watched Boy wonder and nodded. Scarface had been forced to file a report with him as everyone else was too afraid to take such a case and he couldn't well do it himself. "Very well. It's been a few days. I'll send out a team in the next hour. Find me a good photograph of her. If we can't find her, we'll have people on the lookout." Harry nodded, standing._

" _Thank you, Malfoy. I- I really need your help."_

" _I'm just doing my job." Harry dropped some paperwork on his coworkers desk and began to make his way out. "Oi, Potter!" The dark haired man stopped in his tracks, looking at the blonde. "I don't want you or She-Weasley and her brother on the search party, you understand? You'll only distract my people. Let us handle it." Harry frowned, but nodded, exiting the room._

Harry blinked as he heard a small tapping noise, jumping out of his memories and into present time. He took a step back as he realized Hermione was standing right in front of him, a finger on the glass. She had her eyes closed, but she looked like she was concentrating. He didn't expect her to speak, but when she did, shivers ran down his spine. She smiled. "I can hear you breathing in there."


	2. Chapter 2

A/N Chapter two done pretty quick! Thank you, thank you. (bow, bow)

XXXXXX

Daphne smiled as she removed her gloves, pushing her chair away from the table where her patient lay. "So, you're all set here, Mrs. Grubshup." She grabbed the soap, beginning to scrub her hands. She turned on the faucet as the older lady began to sit up, eyebrows scrunched in confusion.

"WHAT?! I CAN'T HEAR YOU, DEARIE." She pushed her glasses higher up her nose. "I HAVE A BAD EAR."

Daphne chuckled, drying her hands. "You know, you really should consider the potion treatment we're experimenting on with ENT." She spoke louder, fixing the woman's bandage. "It's fairly new, but there's been a lot of success. I think it'd be good for you."

"OH, NO, HONEY. I'M NO ONE'S LAB RAT."

"Clearly." Daphne sighed, crossing her arms. "Okay, Mrs. Grubshup, I need you to promise me you'll stay away from the tentacular leaves, okay? This is the third time in two months you've come in. I'm afraid your husband won't feel like bringing you in a fourth time." The old lady opened her mouth to protest, but Daphne cut her off. "Besides, one more time and I'll have to send you for a psych evaluation. I'm sure you don't want that."

"THOSE LEAVES LIKE ME, GREENGRASS! I'M LIKE THEIR MOTHER!"

"You're like their dinner!" Daphne shook her head and gave a notecard to David Grubshup. "Here is her prescription for her treatments. I've upped the dosage because the marks haven't faded from the last attack. If you need anything you know where to find me, okay?"

The man nodded, taking the card and then her hand. "Thank you so much, Healer. I'll make sure she takes them."

"Okay." Daphne smiled, placing her prescription pads back into her coat pocket. "But if she does come in again, she'll have to go in for an evaluation. So, please keep an eye on her, Mr. Grubshup."

"Of course. Of course." The old man nodded and she squeezed his shoulder, exiting the room where Jeoffrey Lowell waited, a chart in his hand. She closed the door behind her, raising an eyebrow.

"Intern Lowell. What are you doing here? Didn't I place you on anti-jinx duty?" She took the chart from him and flipped it open, looking at the name. "Why do you have Ms. Granger's chart?" She began walking, the intern following behind her.

"Well, Dr. Long- Dr. Neville sent me. He's with the patient now." Daphne closed the chart, holding it to her side. "A -Apparently Harry Potter came to visit her. She knew he was in the other room and he swears he didn't say a word."

"How long ago did this happen?" She stopped, turning to the small, lanky boy.

"About 15 minutes ago."

"Fifteen minutes and you waited that long, why?" She tilted her head. "This is a high priority patient, Lowell, I don't have to tell you that. Unless I'm attending to someone in a life or death situation, you call me out of the room. You are not the Healer on call, okay? I am. If something goes wrong because you decided to let me work on a minor accident instead of figure out what's wrong with this girl, that's my ass on the line. Not yours. Do you understand?"

Lowell nodded, following behind her as she walked again. "I'm- I'm sorry, Dr. Greengrass. I didn't think-"

"No, you didn't." She shook her head. "She heard him from behind the double sided glass, you say. That's a problem we didn't foresee. We don't know what happened to her in this house. We don't know what he put her through. All we know is that we need to help her. She's not talking and when she does, it's the oddest thing. She knew when my husband,-" She paused, shaking her head. "-my fiancée- when my _fiancée_ was going to get hurt and she heard someone breathing behind her wall. Those are not good signs, Lowell. No one has ever been able to do that. Something is different with her. And not just the trauma. Magically, she's….different. I need to sedate her, do some tests and draw blood. Preferably from the neck." Daphne paused in the middle of her rant and extended the chart back to him. "Her chart should have been updated before you handed it to me. Do that now and then I need you to discharge any patients that I've indicated and admit and treat those with problems you've learned to treat, okay?" He nodded and hesitated as she leant over a desk to pick up a quick quotes quill, unsure if he should leave. Daphne turned back around to find him standing there and an immediate look of annoyance covered her features. "What. Are. You. Still. Doing. Here?"

The boy shivered and ran down the hall, picking up a few empty charts on the way to the ER. Daphne sighed, running her hand over her face. The day had only just started and already she felt like killing someone. She fixed her hair using her reflection in the glass and smiled, fixing her dark blue scrubs over her belly. Time to get started on the Wizarding World's biggest mystery since Harry survived the killing curse.

XXXXXX

' _One, two, three, four, five…'_ She counted the pens on her desk, her eyes flicking up to pens stacked neatly into the vase. _'Six, seven, eight, ni-'_ A rap on the door broke her from her thoughts and she straightened herself, patting her long hair down over her shoulders symmetrically. She crossed her legs and cleared her throat. "Come in." The door swung open and her hand twitched as the door accidently knocked over a stack of books. "I'm sorry, I forgot to take them back to the library."

"Forget?" He arched a brow, moving over to take a seat in front of her desk. "You never forget anything." He placed a leg over the other and dropped a few files onto her desk, disturbing the perfect spaces between the writing utensils.

"Well, I've had a lot on my mind lately." She muttered, forcing herself to look away from the mess and into his steel grey eyes. "I haven't had much time for anything after we found her. It's been….chaotic." Ginny moved to life a folder from the pile, bringing it closer to her.

"Right. Which is one of the reasons I came to pay you a visit." He pointed to the paper work before him. "See these? These are all my reports from the incident. From the very first day I took on this case, Weaslette. The latest ones are from last month." Draco shifted in his chair, opening a folder and showing the dates to her. "They were submitted last week when the deadline arrived. The chief- you remember the chief, right? Your boss? Well, he wanted these due last week. Luckily, mine made it to his desk. But yours, were never even written." He tilted his head. "Do you see where I'm going here?"

"Do I want to?" Ginny answered between clenched teeth.

"Oh, I think you do. See, I am good at my job, Weasley. I am _very_ good." He chuckled, watching her. "Some would say I'm the best in the team." Ginny got ready to protest, but her fiery red eyebrows gave off her impression and he continued quickly. "No, see, that's my point. We are supposed to work as a team. But we aren't a team. You're good at your job, but I'm better. Together, we frightened nearly every Death Eater into submission after the war. Now, I didn't choose you, you didn't choose me. But I'll be damned if I let anyone get in the way of my work."

"Hey! Listen-"

"No, you listen! I did my best to find her. I spent two years looking everywhere for your precious muggleborn until _you_ \- not me- _you_ decided to give up. Her supposed family. And I get it, I get it. You thought there was no way she'd still be alive after so long. She was gone, most likely dead, rotting somewhere. I didn't want you on the job! I specifically told Potter you wouldn't be allowed! None of you!" Draco stood, slamming his hands on the table. "But instead I get fucked! You found your way onto the group. And I decided I could tolerate that. Because you weren't Potter or his sidekick. I allowed you to stay and that's on me. But you do not get to sit at your desk every day, staring off into space while the rest of us do your job for you. I get that you feel guilty for giving up on her, I get that you feel bad because I was the one who found new evidence six months ago, because I found her. Because the first person she saw out of that hellhole was me. I'm not a total heartless prick, alright? I understand-"

"OH, SHUT UP!" Ginny stood from her seat, shaking her head. "You don't understand, Malfoy! You will never understand! You can only pretend." She pushed his files into his hand. "You might think you know what I'm feeling, but you have no fucking clue! It's not guilt, it's not even close to that! It's completely far past that. I stopped looking for her." She sighed, crossing her arms over her chest. "I _stopped_. And then I convinced everyone that…that there was no way Hermione Granger could still be alive after so long and I should have known better. I should have kept looking. We might have found her sooner." She looked up at the blonde, refusing to cry in front of him, but acknowledging her tear-filled eyes. "I didn't just lose Hermione…I killed her."

XXXXXX

She stood in front of the mirror, seemingly staring at herself. Her fingers ran over her head, lingering over the deep scars. Shouldn't they have been gone by now? The healers had underestimated her wounds, she guessed. Slowly, she pushed away from the mirror, turning her head just as the door opened and a nurse walked in with a tray and a sickeningly sweet smile. "It's time for your breakfast, Ms. Granger. It's a wonderful meal. Really. The kitchen staff works really hard to provide the meals for this hospital." Hermione eyed the nurse. Her dark hair was pulled back into a tight bun and she wore a pair of mint green scrubs. Her wand was tucked neatly into her pocket beside three pens and a nutrition bar. Honestly, she had to be at least four years younger than Hermione. The witch took a step toward the plate, making a face. Her eyes flickered to the doorway, where an auror stood. The nurse followed her gaze, shifting slightly. She suddenly felt very nervous around the famous witch. She turned back to Hermione with a big smile. "I'll be back in thirty minutes to collect your tray, Ms. Granger. It better be all clean!" With that, she exited the room, heading down the hallway and away from the people near the other side of the wall.

Neville sighed, looking over at Harry. His arms were across his chest in the exact position they'd been in when Lowell went to go call Daphne. He took a breath, ready to call her again when she turned the hallway. She hurried over, her white coat floating behind her. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry. My idiot intern waited fifteen minutes before he informed me."

"Twenty, actually." Neville corrected, pushing away from the wall. "But who's counting?"

"Oh, I am going to kill him." Daphne muttered, shaking her head. It was only after a few seconds that she seemed to even register the-boy-who-lived. She smiled widely. "Oh! Harry, hi! How are you?" She leaned in, hugging him gently.

"Good, Daphne, thank you. I see that you're still…you know."

"Pregnant?" Daphne grinned, shrugging. "Yeah, you know, it usually takes about 9 months, so…just a few more to go."

"You must be really excited." Harry nodded, looking between the couple before him. A couple who stood almost exactly three feet apart. "I mean-I know I would be. If it were me."

"Oh, that's sweet." She squeezed his arm gently. "That makes one of the men in my life."

"I'm excited!" Neville chirped in, following the blonde into the office across Hermione's room. "It's a completely cool new chapter in my life!"

"Completely cool." Daphne repeated, twisting her lips. "Way to take the elegance out of the miracle of life, Longbottom."

"Okay, can we just focus here? Please." He shook his head, looking over at Harry, who shrugged. "Once she's finished breakfast, we'll sedate her, we'll take a few tests and if everything still looks normal-"

"-Neville and I have agreed that there should be no reason she can't see you." She interrupted. "Besides, maybe she'll open up to you what with you being her best friend and all." She smiled and turned, looking at her fiancée before catching herself. No, she was supposed to be mad at him for being mad at her. She cleared her throat. "But don't get your hopes up. We'll decide after all the results come back."

Harry nodded, smiling at the two. It wasn't much, it wasn't even a promise he'd get to interact with her, but it was better than nothing. It'd been four years since he'd seen her face-to-face. He never realized how much he liked looking at her when she was around. She was beautiful. Not in a way that made him want to jump her bones. Her beauty was always more reserved than that. She shone brightly since the first time he met her, excited and ready to make friends. He frowned, focusing on her form now. She was small, he noticed. Her skin no longer held that wonderful glow it did before everything. Even during the War against Voldemort. This was the worse he'd ever seen her. Her eyes were sunken and dull. Her skin was almost grey.

They watched her eat in silence, not looking between each other once. Not even when Daphne pointed out how her breathing was spaced out. One breath every ten seconds, the blonde had noted. They watched her pick at a grape and pop it into her mouth, keeping her eyes on the mirror. Harry turned his face from hers, taking a few breaths. "Could I bring Ron? He'd like to be here for this. I mean, I'd like him to be here."

Daphne nodded, her hand on his back. "Of course. Ronald is welcome to swing by anytime he'd like, Harry, you know that. Send him an owl." The black-haired boy nodded and exited the room again, heading towards the owlery. She rubbed her hand over her swollen belly, grimacing. "I'm fine." She whispered after noticing Neville's concern. "She's just kicking."

She licked her lips, leaving the room, brushing past the same nurse who'd dropped off the food. With her eyes downcast, Daphne was able to catch a glimpse of the nurse's pockets: a wand, two pens, and a half-eaten nutrition bar. She looked back up at the walls, turning the corner. However, no sooner had she turned than a loud scream was heard from Hermione's room.

XXXXXX


	3. Chapter 3

XXXXXX

"Okay, now you're being ridiculous." Draco shook his head, crossing his arms over his chest. He could honestly say he had never been in such an insane conversation before. He had hoped he never would caught in this situation before and yet, here he stood. Ginny Weasley stood before him, crying into her hands. If there's one thing he hated more than anything in the world, it was tears. From anyone, really. They just always made him uncomfortable. It had nothing to do with who they came from or what the problem was, they were just so awkward. "No, really, Weaslette, can you-" Draco had always been taught that tears showed weakness. It was a concept his father never forgot to remind him. When he was younger and fell off a broom or when he was punished for speaking out of turn.

Ginny Weasley cried every day for the first year that Hermione Granger was gone. It went from full on wailing to not showing up to work. Then, she was fine. But every now and then, Draco saw her eyes and they were so red. And she had smears on her makeup. He had enough. "Oh for Merlin's sake, you didn't kill her! Hermione Granger is very much alive! You know that!"

"I might as well have carved her name into the headstone myself!" Ginny shook her head, looking up at the blonde. She paced the floor, "I had to beg them to stop the investigation. _I_ convinced them that she was gone. I planned the funeral. Do you realise how that makes me look to those two? To Harry and Ron? " She sat back against the desk, frowning, attempting to wipe at her eyes. "I should've known better. Harry- you should see how he looks at me. Some days, he can't even do that. It's like he's this shell. We have these frozen conversations. He hates me." She frowned. "And don't even get me started on Ron."

"I don't think they hate you." He leaned against her cabinets, knowing it couldn't be possible. "They're just a little miffed. A little angry, but they'll get over it. After all, they didn't find one girl just to lose another." Draco watched her, brows furrowed. "Look, I- I apologise. For what I said before. I didn't mean it."

Ginny chuckled dryly, shaking her head. "Oh, yes, you did. And you were right. If we had looked harder, well, we would've found her. Maybe it would have taken us a few days or months, maybe another year but…not four." She blinked and wiped at her eyes, looking down at her mascara-smeared fingers. "Merlin, look at me. I'm a mess. I can't go see her looking like this."

Draco straightened at this, intrigued. "You're going to go visit her? To-today?" His eyes were wide with interest now and Ginny shifted, uncomfortable with his gaze, nodding. "I'm going with you."

"I'm sorry, what?" She blinked, unsure if she heard correctly. "You want to come along with me? Why would you want to do that?"

"Well this is my biggest case. I've been working on it for years. I know everything about her and just because she's here doesn't mean the case is over. There's still that piece of shit that took her. Who I will make sure to find….but I haven't seen her since I found her and I would like to know how she's doing." Draco straightened himself out, hands in his pockets.

"Sorry, I'm confused. Wouldn't Daphne inform you of all that?" Ginny rose a brow, crossing her arms and looking up at him. She tilted her head. "I mean, she's supposed to be your best friend."

"She _is_ my best friend. And she does inform me, but it's different. I'd like to see Hermione in person" Draco shifted on his feet. "I know it doesn't mean much coming from me. Seeing how I was a git to her all those years during Hogwarts, but it's important that she's better. As her auror, I want to make sure she's okay."

"She's being taken care of, Malfoy." Ginny looked confused. "By the more than capable engaged duo. Daphne and Neville have their best people on the case. You don't have to worry."

"I don't think you understand, Ginevra." He pushed away from the cabinets, narrowing his eyes at her. "I'm not asking for your permission. I'm going to check up on her. Now that I know I can. I'll be informing Daphne about my visit and if you'd like, we can walk to St. Mungo's together. If not, then I will see you there." He moved to the doors, pushing it open. "You know, you should probably clean this place up. It's quite the mess."

Ginny furrowed her brows, looking around the place as he stepped out, straightening herself. She waved her wand, watching as everything went back to its proper place. She picked up her mirror, fixing her hair and makeup before sitting to send her fiancée an owl. If Draco Malfoy was tagging along, its best it wasn't a surprise. Ever since Draco and his team, which included Ginny, had found Hermione in the middle of nowhere, Harry Potter had taken to mostly ignoring the Weasley girl. The three Sunday mornings and Wednesday dinners since Hermione had been rescued saw the couple completely civil as they visited the Burrow. Harry had made it clear that he did not want to disturb Molly with their problems, so they smiled and laughed and held hands and kissed….at least until they apparated home. Then it was silence. Silence as they undressed for bed or because Harry took the moment they arrived to head out into his study. He usually stayed there unless he was at work or visiting Hermione at St. Mungo's.

Draco was actually the first person beside Ron who knew that there was a problem in the Potter-Weasley household. Ginny tried everything to apologise. Of course she felt terrible, Hermione was like a sister to her, but back then….back then she just truly didn't believe Hermione could still be alive. She had lost all hope. Ginny closed her eyes as she finished her letter, walking out to the secretary she shared with a few other aurors. "Please send this to my husband as soon as possible." She held it out for the girl, turning on her heel to head back into her office.

"I thought he was your fiancée?" Ginny stopped in her tracks, closing her eyes. "Never mind, I'll do it right away." She took a breath and straightened out her jacket, walking into her office without answering.

XXXXXX

Daphne hadn't even made it down the hall when the lights went out on the floor and she paused, tensing. "Lumos." She muttered, heading down the hall, careful of her surroundings. At the moment, there had only been one security on the floor. She turned her wand towards where he should be standing and found him on the floor, unconscious. She bit her lower lip, "Hermione?" She called out gently as she entered the room where the girl had been held for the past three weeks. She heard a gasp coming from her feet and she pointed her lit wand at the noise. "Oh, gods." She moved to the floor where the nurse lay, a pen sticking out of her neck. Immediately she realised the girl would not live the next five seconds. Just as she was ready to cast a charm to slow the blood flowing from her wound when the nurse's hand found hers. She held a paper in it. Daphne grimaced, noting she did not know her name, taking the paper as the light left her eyes and the girl passed on, her body going limp. It was as she was surveying her that she realised the girl's wand was missing. The hair stood up on the back of her neck and she knew she was in trouble.

Daphne took her wand up as she stood, pocketing the parchment paper. She had barely registered the spell coming towards her, moving out of the way at the last second. Her blood ran cold as she threw up a barrier, hoping it'd stall Hermione's attacks, sending a stunning spell at the patient. "Hermione, stop! Please!" she cried out, watching as the spell missed the former Gryffindor by an inch. She was only able to catch a glimpse, but the girl looked terrifying. She stood in the doorway, looking completely unfazed and yet completely determined. Daphne attempted to disarm her with no luck, watching the spell redirect to the wall, causing a loud crash.

Hermione's eyes flashed and she sent another spell her way. A pink flash had the girl strengthen her shields and she instinctively held one hand over her stomach. She knew that curse. Daphne upheld the barrier, straightening back up. She threw another stunning spell at the witches' feet, watching her dance out of it's path. "Reducto!" Daphne covered her face as her shields shattered around her like glass, the force of the sell knocking her back. She hit the floor with a loud thud, pain shooting up her back. Tears pricked her eyes. "Expelliarmus!" Her wand flew from her hand and she watched in horror as the witch walked into the room, her eyes bright. Daphne shuffled back, covered in the nurse's blood now completely.

"Hermione. Please." She lifted her hands up in surrender. "Please don't do this. I'm trying to help you. I only want to help you." Her eyes closed as she felt her back hit the wall and instantly the cold feeling of a wand pressed up against her chin. With a simple _Locomotor_ spell, Hermione had Daphne fully standing and on her feet. "I don't know what happened to you in there, Hermione, but I only want to help you get through it." A few tears streamed down her cheeks and she shook her head, forcing herself to look into the cold, dull eyes of Hermione Granger. "Let me help you."

"You can't." Hermione frowned and pulled back the wand, a spell on her lips when a bright, red light was sent her way and she crumbled to the ground, unconscious. Daphne looked up at her savior, a sob escaping her lips as she ran into his arms.

"Draco!" She cried, hugging him tightly. His arms wrapped around her, holding her close. "You saved me. I was so sure she was going to kill me." She buried her face in his chest as he rubbed her back, shushing her. "She killed the nurse." He looked around her at the floor as the lights came back on and Neville ran in, Harry following close behind.

"Daphne!" Neville took a step forward, registering all of the blood over his fiancée and she immediately slinked from Draco's arms to his, sobbing. "You're shaking. What happened? Are you hurt? Who's blood is this?" He held her in his arms as Harry stepped into the room with Draco, assessing the girl on the ground. He shook his head at Neville. "She- did she kill Maggie? What did she do to you, Daphne? How did this happen?" Daphne opened her mouth to speak, but shook her head, completely shaken up. Neville led her to a seat as Draco and Harry worked on magically binding Hermione to the bed. Neville reached into his pocket, producing a calming draught with a patient's label on it. "Take this. You need it right now."

Daphne took the vial, hands shaking so fast she almost dropped the potion. She downed it quickly and closed her eyes, feeling it's effects fall over her. She wiped at her eyes, handing the vial back to Neville, but refusing to let go of his hands. At this point, a few more healers were appearing. She watched as Draco ran his hand over his face, relaying some instructions to Harry before heading over to her. "Daphne, we're going to need an official statement." She blinked, looking at his clothes. They were covered in blood. For the first time, she had the chance to fully assess herself, realizing the amount of blood she was covered in. No wonder Neville was so frightened. She looked up at her best friend and he seemed to understand, without having to hear a word. "I'll let you get cleaned up. We'll deal with all of this, Longbottom. Just get her out of here and clean. I'll be sure to pass by your place in an hour or two to get the statement, alright?"

Daphne nodded, looking over at her fiancée. It was when she stood that the shooting pain went up her back and her eyes widened. "The baby."

XXXXX

Neville had performed the spells five times already and Daphne was still not having it. "Neville, please. Just one more time."

"Daphne, love, we've already been to see your obstetrician. She gave you the same information that I'm giving you. You're fine. I know it was scary. I know it hurt, but the baby is okay. You both are." Neville gripped her shoulders gently, but she looked at him with wide, tear-filled eyes and he sighed. "One more, Daphne. Then, I'm taking you home." He waved his wand, watching a few shimmering lights appear and gloss over his partner. He waited a few seconds and a green light appeared above Daphne's head. He nodded, waving his hand in another direction, watching a white light appear over her stomach. "You see? You're absolutely fine."

"No, that's just it! I'm not fine! _I_ am not fine, Neville." Daphne placed her head in her hands as he grabbed their things, leading her out of the supply closet and into the hall. She turned to him. "Look at me, I am covered in blood. In my coworker's blood and I never even knew her name." She pinched the bridge of her nose as tears threatened to fall. She placed her hands on her hips, watching him. "I never knew her name, Neville. We have one of the highest risking jobs in the Wizarding world. And I'm barely a person about it. I was nearly killed today. My baby and I- another second and we would not have made it out of that room."

"But you did, Daphne." Neville gripped her hands in his. "You are okay. Even if you're not fine, you're okay." He frowned, looking at her blood-stained hair. He brushed some of it from her face and took a step forward, pressing a kiss to her forehead. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry I was such a prat earlier." He whispered. "I know you did what you had to. I was being selfish. I'm sorry I yelled. I don't know what I'd do without you." She smiled slightly, her arms wrapping around his waist. "Home?" She nodded and he took her hand, leading her towards the floo networks on the lower floor. He pushed past the group of healers and aurors watching over Harry and his team, gripping his fiancée closer to him.

Draco watched them leave and sighed, turning to look at Hermione, who lay bound to the bed. Her reinforcements were stronger this time, having been bound by several different aurors. He shook his head. "Merlin, Granger. What the hell happened to you out there?"

XXXXXX

A/N: Hope you enjoyed! Please Review! I know the story seems like there's a lot of Daphne and Neville going on, that's intentional. I want there to be a focus on several of the relationships and how they all happen around Draco and Hermione. We'll be seeing more of Ginny/Harry and Ron and his significant other as well. I hope you enjoy this story! Please review! They're awesome :)


	4. Chapter 4

A/N Chapter 4! I finally got a beta, so chapter has been reviewed over a few times. Which is weird for me, I'm used to just posting as soon as I'm done. Oh, well! I hope you lot enjoy!

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The two men watched her fidget, their eyes trained on her form. She seemed to be in a deep sleep, but that didn't stop them from worrying. Her wrists were tied straight down and charmed to not be let go unless by Daphne's own wand. The Healer would be returning later today, they heard. As they stared, she tugged at the restraints, whimpering. They almost wished she'd been given a Dreamless Sleep Potion. However, they were told it wasn't a good idea. The aurors had already tried extracting memories from the time she was missing, but they came up empty. If her sleep was the only place the memories came back, they'd have to let her remember. Then, they could receive some real answers.

Harry twisted his lips and crossed his arms. He hadn't spoken a word to Ronald since they'd been allowed into the room across. Neither of them really wanted to talk. They just wanted to watch her. They just wanted to know she was here, safe. However loose that term was. She tugged again and Ron straightened, brows furrowed. "What do you think she's remembering?"

The dark-haired boy shook his head, frowning. "I'm not sure we want to know."

. . . Four Years Ago . . .

 _The girl groaned as she came to, her eyes remaining closed. She wasn't sure opening her eyes would help anything. It seemed no light was entering the room. She could faintly her the sound of a record playing something, but she could not make out the song. She winced as she pushed herself to a sitting position, finally opening her eyes. It seemed she was right. Darkness. Only darkness. She couldn't see two inches in front of her. However, at the moment, her head seemed to be splitting open, pain shooting down her back in spurts and perhaps that was the cause. Very slowly, she moved her hand up to her head, massaging it gently. Where was she? Truthfully, she couldn't remember anything and that was just not like her._

 _She blinked, narrowing her eyes in the darkness, as if that would help her see. Her fingers were soaked in something, as were here chained feet. She brought her fingers to her nose and inhaled, a strangled cry escaping her lips. Blood. It was blood! But was it_ hers _? In the darkness she assessed herself, noting the outfit she'd constructed for work gone, and instead in some sort of hospital gown. She had no injuries as far as she could tell, so the blood definitely wasn't hers. She wasn't sure if that frightened her more or less. A small cry left her as she realized her wand was no longer in her possession and she felt around frantically, praying that she'd find the smooth wood back in her hands._

 _Hermione cursed quietly, pushing herself to her knees, searching for the wall in front of her. Her fingers met cold steel, hands curling around the bars._ "No. No, no, no!" _She shoved against the bars, ignoring the pain on her skull and the fact that the chains around her ankles barely allowed her to reach the cold metal. "No, come on! Come on!" She stuck a hand out through what must have been a cell door, searching for something, anything. "Help! Somebody help me! Please! Please!" When it became clear that no one was around she tried the doors again, feeling around for the lock. It was as this was happening that she realized something. She could hear footsteps. Soft, soft, footsteps. The muffled music had been so distracting, but the steps were definitely there. So she wasn't alone. She could hear the faint noise of something being dragged and instantly, she pulled from the bars and pressed against the wall as if hoping it'd swallow her. She heard a kettle whistle somewhere upstairs and a three soft continuous clicks._

 _There was a small creak and her head snapped to her left as the door swung open slowly, some light filtering into the room. The music hit her ears and she had to refrain from covering them. Tears pricked her eyes as she recognized the song. The very song she so loved. Her grandmother had sung it to her so often._

' _Non, Rien de rien  
Non, Je ne regrette rien_

 _Ni le bien qu'on m'a fait  
Ni le mal tout ça m'est bien égal'_

 _She adjusted to the light, looking down at herself. Her eyes caught sight of the light blue frock. Definitely a hospital gown. The most surprising thing, however, was the chains. They had opened and were now laying by her feet. She looked up at the cell door and saw that it too, was open. Hermione hesitated, but after a few moments, decided she'd walk through. As if being summoned, she headed towards the stairs. Her hand reached out for the rail and she pulled herself up them, heart beating fast against her chest._

 _She soon found herself in a hall; a single window across from the door had sunlight streaming in. She looked down at the ground, a trail of white lilies littering the floor. In the middle of them lay a large white box. A note lay atop it and she pulled it out, reading it quickly._

' _Put this on, then come to the parlor for your tea party. Take a right, second door on the left. Don't keep your guests waiting, they're positively dying to see you.'_

 _Hermione opened the box, pulling out a beautiful tea dress. Hesitantly, she removed the gown and stepped into the dress, fidgeting. Perfect size. It was a soft lavender color with an a-line that stopped mid-thigh. The top half was covered in purple roses and red lilies with black swirls. The bottom half of the skirt held the same pattern. She nibbled on her lower lip as she placed the box back down, the note still in her hand._

' _Non, Rien de rien  
Non, Je ne regrette rien_

 _Car ma vie, car mes joies  
Aujourd'hui, ça commence avec toi!'_

 _The song had finished, but she quickly realized it wasn't over. It began again after a few moments and the closer she got to the "tea party," which she assumed wouldn't be a party at all, the louder the music got. Finally, she had reached the appropriate door. There was a large welcome sign held over it and the moment her hand touched the door, there was a bright light and a wave of exhaustion washed over her. The door pushed open under her light touch and she stepped in slowly. Edith Piaf's "Non, Je Ne Regrette Rien," played from the vintage record player in the corner. It was the kind where you had to crank the handle to have it work, seemingly charmed to keep playing the same song. She looked about the place, surprised that it was nothing like she expected. The room was of a soft blue color, a stack of shelves against the opposite wall adorned with tea cups. There was one window and it was, she noted, barred. Her eyes scanned one part of the room before she turned to her right and recoiled, crying out in fright._

 _There was the tea party_ _, hidden in the right corner of the room by a piece of wall that jutted out by the door. She fought the urge to vomit._ _There were four guests and one of them was staring right at her. Well, he would have been, if he hadn't been dead. His pale skin was painted in a clown-like way. Red lips around his normal, cracked ones, forcing him to remain smiling, even in death. His eyes were wide and dull and framed by a very white makeup, though he didn't need it. From his slightly blue skin, she could see he'd been dead a while. His arms were tied together by some rope, which was tied to the chair. She covered her mouth as his name came to her mind. Terry Boot. He wore his tattered school robe. She remembered then that he'd disappeared after the Battle of Hogwarts. Everyone thought he'd died horribly during because they never did find his body._

 _Two of the others were girls. They each had their heads tilted down, hair framing their face. She had no desire to reach out to them, so their identities remained hidden. They were also wearing the exact same dress she was. Both were tied down, blood running down their forearms. Those she could see. Her breath caught in her throat as she read the carvings. 'Half-blood' and 'Blood Traitor.' Her first thought went to Bellatrix Lestrange, but that couldn't have been right. Molly Weasley had killed her during the final battle._

 _She turned to the last occupied chair. She recognized this man immediately, with his rich, dark skin and black hair. Blaise Zabini. His eyes were closed and he was leaning back against the seat. His arms and legs were tied to the chair, fingers digging into the wooden arms. His nails were covered in blood and she knew why her captor had decided to tie him down so. He was a fighter._

 _If she recalled correctly, Blaise had stopped showing up to the ministry, where he had worked in the Department of Mysteries, two weeks ago. It was long since known that the man had been threatening to quit his job for weeks now and finally move to Italy to be with his extended family. "Away from all you daft oafs!" He'd yell. Everyone had just assumed he had. She frowned, shaking her head. He'd been here for two weeks and no one had bothered to search for him. There was a sudden lurch in her stomach as she began to contemplate. Would anyone look for her? Would anyone guess something was wrong? Would they believe she had just gone to visit her parents in Australia as she'd been planning? No, no, she would not be a victim. She_ would _get out of here! She did not assist in defeating Voldemort only to die in captivity._

 _Immediately, her hands went to Blaise's and she began to tug at the ropes, willing them to come off. No budge. She moved to his legs and found the same problem. As she straightened, she nearly jumped out of her skin. The Italian man was looking at her with wide, dark eyes, shaking his head, muttering beneath the gag. He tensed, nails digging into the wooden chair again and his eyes shifted behind her. She froze, aware of the sudden breath on her neck and then, a bright flash of light._

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Neville Longbottom moved around the small kitchen, pouring tea into two cups. His eyes were lined with worry as he strained to hear his fiancée in the other room. Since they'd arrived, she had barely spoken a word and he didn't blame her. The situation was completely messed up. If Draco hadn't arrived when he had, Neville shuddered to think the situation he'd be left in. Sure, he had been angry with the blonde before, but that all went out the window earlier when he saw her. His heart had lurched as he caught sight of her blood-covered clothes. Clothes which had been discarded almost instantly when they'd arrived at their modest apartment. He made his way into the living room, placing a saucer and cup before her on the coffee table. She turned up to look at him and gave him a small smile, taking his free hand. "I'm sorry I frightened you. I hadn't even noticed the blood."

"Don't be ridiculous, Daphne. There's no need to apologize. I'm just glad that you're alright. That you and our baby are alive, I mean." He squeezed her hand gently and moved to sit beside her, wrapping his arm around her waist and pulling her into his chest. "You two mean the world to me, you know? Even when I'm being a right foul git." This earned him a small laugh, the first one in a while and he found he'd missed it. Why was he spending so much time being angry at her when he could have been doing this? He could have been holding her and cherishing her and loving her, listening to her laugh and giggle. He buried his nose in her now clean hair, pressing a kiss to the top of her head. "I love you, darling."

She was about to respond when the fireplace roared to life and green flames danced around a petite form. Neville nearly groaned when a worried Pansy Parkinson stepped out, practically flinging herself at Daphne, who stood to catch her. "Dear Merlin, I am so glad you're okay! I am so sorry, I was in surgery when it happened and you know McMillian, no bad news lest it compromise your work. I only just heard otherwise I would have come by sooner!" The dark haired girl hugged Daphne tightly, although not too much as there was a small bump between them. She pulled away, her dark eyes surveying the blonde. "Are you sure you're okay? And the baby? Is he alright? Or she?"

Daphne nodded, taking hold of her best friend's hands and pulling her to the couch to sit, causing Neville to move further down. "I'm fine, really. I was just shaken up. Neville and Cho already performed the necessary spells to make sure the baby is fine."

Pansy snorted, shaking her head. "I still don't understand why you chose her to be your obstetrician, she's positively daft!" The former Slytherin took one of the tea cups, sipping from it and Neville stood, heading back to grab another cup for himself. Her eyes shifted up to him and then back to Daphne. "Really, you could've chosen me!"

"Oh, sweetie, you are not an obstetrician!" Daphne argued, sipping her own cup. "It's not your specialty. And don't be so mean, you know Cho is brilliant. You're just jealous I chose her." She leaned against the back of the couch, smiling.

"Firstly, I specialize in pediatrics, I'm basically qualified!" Pansy crossed her legs, leaning forward and taking her hand. "And second, of course, I'm jealous! I wanted to be the one to deliver your baby."

"Oh, you'll do one better, love. You know you're going to be in the delivery room."

"She what?" The pair turned up to look at Neville, who had just walked in. His eyes were wide and shone with disapproval. "When was this decided? We haven't discussed this, it's not set in stone. Don't get your hopes up, Parkinson."

Pansy raised an eyebrow, turning from her friend and to the man sitting on the opposite couch. As they proceeded to argue, Daphne took the moment to survey them. Pansy's long dark hair was pulled up in a ponytail and the lack of makeup and dark circles under her eyes told her she'd probably not slept in the last 48 hours. She wore a pair of black jeans tucked into black combat boots and a thin, long-sleeved magenta tee, one that normally went under her scrubs. Her black messenger bag was by her feet. Neville and Pansy had never really got along, especially at Hogwarts where the latter constantly bullied the former. Luckily, he had always seen past her friends when they begun to date. Daphne never recalled talking to the man at school, although now she wished she had. She was so sure that would have made them close friends. When Pansy found out she was in a relationship with Neville, she'd been positively disgusted. She was so amazed and quickly placed a bet with Theodore Nott and Blaise Zabini that the couple would not last. Of course, she lost that the moment Neville proposed.

Now, the two tolerated each other, but they were by no means friends. Pansy constantly made sure to remind her ex-classmate of that. Her exact words were, _"Never in a million hells will I be his friend, but for you- only you, I will be less of a bitch to him when you are around."_ Then, she proceeded to make threats against him if he ever hurt Daphne. She smiled as she watched them interact now. In the beginning, Pansy would have probably fired off a spell or two, but not anymore. Now, she showed up whenever she wanted, knowing it completely irked him. She ate their food and on more than one occasion, kicked him out of his and Daphne's bedroom in the middle of the night. There had been that one time that Neville refused to leave. Instead, Pansy slinked in beside Daphne and proceeded to tell her much of her problems that evening. She had no shame, that one, and went into full detail, enjoying the man squirm beside them until he grabbed his pillow and quilt and headed down to the living room.

She was lucky, she thought, that Neville was so tolerant of her friend. Not many people would be. He'd grown so much since their days at Hogwarts. From what she'd heard of him then, he had been timid and shy. He had very obviously changed. Although he was still a sweetheart, he wasn't exactly a pushover. He knew when a situation called for assertiveness. It was as she was admiring him that Pansy broke her concentration. "Daphne! Please, tell him you need me! Explain to him because obviously when he listens to me it goes in one ear and out the other!"

Neville scoffed, shaking his head. "And even that rarely ever happens." Pansy gave her friend an incredulous look, pointing at the man.

She stood and moved over to Neville, taking a seat on his lap and wrapping an arm around his shoulders. "I do need you, Pansy. I will always need you." The girl looked triumphant until the blonde tilted her head. "But Neville is right. We haven't had the chance to discuss it yet and so we will." Neville grinned and rose his eyebrows at the girl sitting across from them. She shook her head and crossed her arms, letting out a small disgruntled noise.

Suddenly, the fireplace roared again and Draco Malfoy stepped out, dusting the soot off his clothes. Daphne's eyes shone with worry and she turned back to Neville, who instinctively held her tighter to his body. Pansy sat up straight, her fingers digging into her knees as the man looked up at them. "Oh, I didn't realize you had company." He kept his eyes from looking at his former girlfriend, instead fixated on his witness. "I can come back at another time, if you'd like."

"No! No, it's quite alright, Draco." Pansy stood, grabbing a hold of the end of his tan leather jacket. She removed her hand slowly, pursing her lips. "I was actually just about to head out. So, you should stay. You need to anyways and I wouldn't want to stand in the way of an investigation…."

His brows furrowed and he frowned, whispering. "Pansy…" She pushed past him and out through the front door, a small pop telling them she'd left. Draco straightened and looked over at the couple, who were still cuddled together. Draco had dated Pansy for a little over two years when they'd broken up.

The girl had been under the impression that one day soon, he would propose. However, when Hermione's case had landed itself on his lap, he began to work longer hours and eventually, the two would only see each other at bedtime. Although they had yet to move in together, Pansy would spend many nights at Malfoy Manor until eventually one morning Draco awoke realizing she hadn't been over in weeks. She had been so hurt, he remembered, that his work was so consuming, but he should've handled it better. They had a horrid argument one afternoon in his office, so loud he swore not even the silencing spell placed over his door could have helped.

" _Pansy, please, I'm in the middle of my work day, we just got wind of some new evidence-"_

" _But that's just it, isn't it? You're always working! Draco, we never see each other anymore!" She paused, placing her head in her hands. "Oh goddess, I sound so pathetic! Do you realize what you've done? You make me feel like I'm some schoolyard girlfriend!"_

" _I'm sorry- I've what?!" He paced his office, his lunch forgotten. "Pansy, you are not pathetic! I love you, you know I do, but I can't do this right now! Somewhere out there, a girl is suffering and she will continue to suffer until I locate her!"_

" _Merlin, Draco, she's dead! Everyone knows that! I know, the Daily Prophet knows it! Hell, even the wonderful ginger, Ginny Weasley is losing hope. Why are you the only one who refuses to see what's right in front of you?!"_

" _Because she can't be dead, Pansy! I refuse to believe it! There is absolutely no way that she survived seven years of hell to defeat Voldemort only to die because someone wanted to keep her!" His fists slammed against his desk, a growl escaping his lips. "No, I am going to find her. I am not going to give up. And right now, I need you to go, Pansy. I cannot have you standing in the way of this investigation."_

 _He didn't have to look up from his desk to see the tears well up in her eyes. She took a few steps backward, narrowing her eyes at him. "It's her, isn't it? It's always been her. Goddess, I should have seen it once you agreed to take the case. It was so obvious."_

 _Draco froze in his seat, fingers clenching around his wand. He took a breath, willing himself to let go of the smooth wood and look up at his girlfriend. "Tread carefully over your next words, Pansy. You have no idea what you're talking about."_

" _You don't scare me, Draco Malfoy, so don't even bother! But you know I'm right. Even if you're too afraid to admit it to yourself. You know, deep, deep down that it's true." She wiped at her eyes and swung her bag over her shoulders, slinging it across her body. She shifted on the tips of her toes, her hand on the doorknob. "I still have another fifteen minutes for lunch before I have to go back to St. Mungo's. I'll use the time to swing by your place and pick up my things."_

" _Pansy, come on…"_

" _No, it's fine. It's better this way. We were never going to work, Draco. We just don't have enough time for each other." She shook her head and then moved down, taking a small pin from her bag and placing it on his desk. A small silver snake with emerald eyes adorned the Malfoy crest. "Besides, I'm just finishing up my internship. I won't have time for a boyfriend, not with all the babies that need saving." She turned back to the door, pulling it open. "Goodbye, Draco. I'll see you around."_

"Draco? Draco, hey." Daphne's voice pushed him out of his reverie and he turned his head down to the small woman. She had her fingers closed around his arm, shaking him slightly. "Are you okay?"

He blinked, looking down at her. "I should be asking you that. How are you feeling?" He took her hand, leading her back to her couch, nodding at Neville. "If you're not up for it, we can wait. I know it must have been frightening."

"It was." She leaned back against her sofa, crossing her legs. "But I can do it. I want to get it over with. Is she alright? She's sedated, I assume."

Draco's lips curled into a small smile. "You haven't changed one bit. Always caring about those who hurt you."

"It's how we became friends, isn't it? Although, I admit this situation is a tad more difficult." She looked to Neville and took his hand. "I just want to go back to work and figure out what's wrong with her."

"We all do, Daph." Draco took out a quick-quotes-quill, allowing it to lift into the air to take notes. "Okay, then, if you're ready. Let's start from the beginning."

Daphne laced her fingers with those of her fiance's and squeezed his hand before diving into her version of events.

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Ginny took the pass from the clerk, smiling her wide, charming smile. "Thank you so much." She looked down at the room number and tilted her head. I32. Her brows furrowed in confusion and she turned her gaze back to the woman. "What does the 'I' mean? I've been here several times to see my fiancée or brother before. I've never seen it before."

"Oh. Isolation." The girl nodded nonchalantly before looking around and whispering. "Miss Granger has been in solitary since she arrived, they put her in the lower floors because they wanted her to adjust slowly, but now she's properly isolated. Only her current Healer, Miss Greengrass, and Dr. Longbottom can enter. It was that way before this morning's…incident."

"Incident? What incident? What happened?" She looked at the girl sharply, her eyes narrowed. Something had happened and no one had bothered to tell her? She was one of the lead auror's on the case, why the bloody hell would she not be contacted? Not to mention, she was listed as an emergency contact.

"Oh! Uh, I had assumed Auror Malfoy had told you. He was here at the time it occurred." Ginny held back a groan, clipping the pass to the collar of her blouse. "He actually just left. Really, only about two minutes ago. I believe he used our floo network." The girl looked around, worry in her eyes before spotting someone. "Lowell!" The intern froze and turned to the two females, blushing brightly as he was waved over. "Intern Lowell, this is Ms. Weasley. She would like to be updated on this morning's little hiccup. If you could follow him to Ms. Granger's room, I'm sure he'll let you know whatever you'd like."

Ginny regarded the trembling boy with hard eyes, noticing how he clutched a chart to his chest. Her voice floated as she spoke and though her words seemed doubtful, her tone made him relax. "Is that so?"

"Uh, y-yes, Madame Weasley. I work under Healer Greengrass. She's my boss, I mean." He hastily puts down the folder and takes another large chart. This one, she sees, has 'Hermione J. Granger' written across it. "And I would be honored to walk you down to go see her. Mr. Potter and Mr. Weasley are there now." Although, Auror Malfoy ordered extra security and I must warn you, she's been restrained. So, she looks worse than she really is. He shook his head solemnly. "I tell you that girl is strong. And very powerful. Sure, it's possible to use another's wand, but with the amount of accuracy and ease with which she did, that was impressive. Even Healer Greengrass said it and she was frightened to the core."

"What the hell are you on about?" Ginny snapped, crossing her arms. Her annoyance at the fact she knew nothing of said incident had grown since he'd begun talking. Now, she just wanted to see her friend. "I want the full story. Not just snippets. None of what you said means anything to me yet. So, let's get walking, shall we? And you can tell me everything you know."

Lowell looked at her with bright, wide eyes. He had never really been reprimanded before. Well, by Daphne, yes, but that was expected. He had never been placed in a situation where he could anger eof importance. Especially not an auror. He nodded, clutching the chart to his chest. "Of-of course. I apologize. If you would follow me." He led her in the direction of two glass doors, which led to an outdoor area. "Her building is right across from the main. It's where we keep our high-risk patients."

"High risk? What is she at risk of?" Ginny followed behind him, her hands in her pockets, staring up at the looming building.

"At the moment?" He turned to look at her, fingers gripping Hermione's medical information so tight that his knuckles were white. "Herself."

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A/N The song playing during Hermione's memory is "Non, rien de rien" by Edith Piaf. It's beautiful and then when you listen to it thousands of times, like I have, it's freaky!

Also, pediatrics- in case anyone was wondering- is the part of medicine dealing with children. If anyone's got any questions, please feel free to ask them. I'll try to answer as best I can without giving anything away. I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Please review!


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